Our Posse in the October Issue of School Library Journal. Well, teeny parts of our posse. Also, SLJ staff tells me: “we’re sending a special edition newsletter on 2.0, that includes this short piece”. The posse approves.
Original pic they so politely asked to use. Hi Rochelle!:
From “my” Public Libraries Magazine editor (actually DLK and I write this together so “our” editor is a better way to say it)”, comes this for your consideration:
“the January/February issue is a *theme* issue so the feature articles will all focus on one topic. This time the topic will be Services to Teens. So, if at all possible, please try to tailor your columns to that subject for the Jan/Feb 2008 issue.”
But I’m not a YA librarian. Neither is DLK. So, we need help from the experts. We write “The Internet Spotlight” column, and are interested in getting feedback from real life librarians out there dealing with Teen/YA Services in their everyday work. If you are one of those folks and would like to be included as a quote/contributor to this issues column do this:
Reply in the comments *or* send me an email explaining what your “Internet Spotlight” is in relation to YA/Teen Services. This could also be what your YA patrons see as their “Internet Spotlight” or it could be anything related to YA’s or YA services and the internet. You know, a web site and online activity, whatever you observe as a spotlight subject. It’s really open ended and can be factual or opinionated (both are useful). A paragraph is a nice length, but more or less works well too.
So, tell me, what is your YA/Teen Services “Internet Spotlight”???
Thanks!
PS-This is due to our editor in 10 days.
It is party time ‘round Libraryman way my friends! And it’s a community party, which means that you are invited (see the next to last paragraph of this blog post for you invitation details). At this party, you get to tell me a story or two…..and I get to write. A book. For ALA Editions!
While I’m bursting to tell you about my first book deal ever, Jenni Fry, Editor at ALA Editions tells the story in a much calmer and more reasonable voice:
“At Midwinter (2007) in Seattle, no fewer than three people sought me out, one even stopping me on the street, to tell me that “Michael Porter’s got an idea” for a book. Never one to be too slow on the uptake, I made sure to talk with him at a reception we were both attending. Several conversations and one contract later, I’m thrilled to say that Michael (aka Libraryman) will be writing for us.
Just what is this big idea, you say? Michael will be interviewing and gathering stories from individuals and institutions that have become leaders in successful electronic community engagement. He will use these stories as the basis for real-world lessons that libraries can use to more effectively engage the communities they serve. The work will be many things: part historical snapshot of this transition period in library service, part motivational storytelling, part benchmarking, and part practical handbook.”
Of course, Jenni is being a generous friend and editor because as I remember the story, it was I who tracked her down, two minute book pitch/elevator speech on the tip of my eager tongue. Regardless of how it happened, they did actually sign the contract so it is now legal and everything. In fact, I’ve taken a couple of stabs at an intro. Here’s one that is close:
“This is a book about effective and practical electronic community engagement. It is a book bursting with valuable, moving, entertaining, exciting and often times unusual stories and ideas. The stories all have lessons that center on people engaging with electronic community in ways that make the players more human. Each centrally themed collection of stories concludes with lessons learned, ideas and action items you can put to use in your library, business or personal life.”
I hope you like it, ‘cause unless the ALA folks say no, that’s how the book will go.
Now I get to thank a few folks that made this happen and then I’ll give you the official Michael Porter invitation to the party. Here goes:
Thanks to Jenni Fry and Patrick Hogan at ALA Editions for making this happen.
A whole slew of thank you’s to Chrystie Hill, who has a book coming out very soon herself and who also really helped align the stars that spelled out Y E S to this book proposal.
Also, thanks to Janie Hermann, who unbeknownst to me, also smiled upon this project.
The biggest thanks however go to the audience for and major subject matter of the book, that is, the inspirational and motivational colleagues I am blessed to know and work with. Does it crack anybody else up that simply thanking all the Jennifers’, Davids’, Michaels’ and Karens’ out there in Libraryland covers half of us? Seriously though, thank you for helping to make this the most exciting time ever to work in libraries. This project will succeed because of you. Which leads me to your invitation to the party!
Your invitation:
This is my first public request for both library and NON-LIBRARY stories of community engagement. If you have had a story the has sprung to life from a single, or series of electronic community building tools and would be willing to share, please let me know so others can learn from it in this book! The more dramatic, intense, moving, informative, useful, practical and entertaining are obviously desirable. However, the beauty of subtlety is appreciated here as well. Even sending a one or two paragraph summary of a noteworthy community engagement story in your life could be a genuinely helpful inclusion in the book. So please think about your stories and consider sharing them with this book’s future audience. You can e-mail them to me at: michael.libraryman at sign gmail.com
I have some good content, substantial ideas and leads already, BUT we really need lots of stories like the ones described above from all over. In fact, they do not have to come from just library staffers. Non-library stories of electronic community engagement will make up the majority of those exemplified and examined in this book. That means if you have friends or family with stories that could enhance this book, I would LOVE to hear them!
Finally, this is my first book deal, so I am especially excited. I believe there is real benefit for Libraryland in the subject matter and approach here, which makes the project really pop for me as a librarian, practical tech advocate and author. But frankly, I don’t plan on trying to write a huge number of books. That means I truly believe in the idea and will work hard to make this useful, practical and helpful for us all. So for me, it is a big deal. And while it is a very happy project with lots of interesting work in store, I would like to end this announcement by thanking my dear grandma, Irene Porter-Baer. Grandma passed a way a few years ago but she was always one of my best friends, closest allies and strongest champions. I wouldn’t have been able to attend college or grad school without her help, so this opportunity would not have come to pass without her. I miss her and think of her often. I also try my best to make a proud legacy for her with my work. It is just another motivation to make this book be the best I can make it for us all. So either in the books’ introduction or conclusion I will thank you folks in Libraryland, and I will also thank my inspirational grandma that I owe a huge part of this current opportunity to.
Now please send me your stories of electronic community engagement, people!
PS-I’ll bet my editors are quaking in fear the the entire book will be as turgid as this blog post. Hey, at least I used the word “turgid”! 
<–Note to self, no emoticons in the book.
Whew! Just finished, and you can check it out by following this link.
Here’s what it is about:
“I have a presentation to share with you about the new facebook developer’s application. In actuality the presentation is really about how this tool has huge potential importance for libraries. Naturally, the tool and it’s functionality are covered here, but the larger principles that apply to library futures, ILS systems and patron engagement with and within the online library environment are the real reasons to understand what is discussed in the presentation. It’s stuff that is worth know for sure! Here’s a screen shot of the introduction. The real file plays as a “movie” and can be found by clicking here. I hope you find it useful!
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to get ahold of me. My contact info can be found on my web site/blog: www.libraryman.com
**Thanks to WebJunction for hosting this presentation and for sharing the software needed to create it. WebJunction has tools like this that you can use too!**
ALA Midwinter is over, but continues to age gracefully, opening the full bouquet of library bounty as the dust settles. Library peeps from around the globe now are returned home and have begun reassuming their real and on-line (still real) identies. What did that last sentence mean? I don’t know for sure, but I think it was something like: Cool stuff from Midwinter is still showing up on-line!
For one thing, (though it may not qualify as “cool” to everyone), you can find this presentation on flickr. Me is meant as a good thing here, more of an outward reaching concept for sharing and libraries than a selfish individualistic worldview. Click the pic below for linkage:
Also, lots and lots of conference photos are showing up on flickr with the tag alamw2007. That’s the tag that the collective decided on, right? Check out the most “interesting” here.
Also today, David Lee King posted a video of he and I doing some booty shakin’ with the video game Dance Dance Revolution at the ALA TechSource booth. Alright, it may not technically be booty shaking, more stomping really, but you can tell we were havin’ us some fun! I hope they have Karaoke Revolution next year.
If you’ve left something cool on-line from alamw2007 and want to share it here, I’d love to see it. Stick a link in the comments, baby!
Libraryman went to this year’s ALA Midwinter Conference and all you got was this lousy “10 Things” blog post.
This was a unique conference for me personally, with exposure to an unusually large number of new people, events and situations. Some events were things that I had *heard* happened, but had never been invited to before. Others were work realated. Many were general events that were simple unmissable. I continue to be deeply grateful for some of the kind invitations and warm welcomes received at this conference. It was exhausting, exciting and invigorating. I should go to bed, but though it best to write these observations down before I turn in. Here goes!
1. Yeah, yeah, you already know this, but it’s still true; the best thing about every library conference is our community. With few exceptions, the opportunity we have to reconnect and catch up with old friends, make new friends and learn from fellow professionals is worth the money, time and effort.
2. Seattle, I love you. You are pretty and have amazing food. Sure, you’re a bit expensive, but this is a case of getting what you pay for. I really hope most of you enjoyed Seattle and had good experiences with the city.
3. If you get an invite to a Gates Foundation party, go. These parties have a relaxed yet sophisticated and celebratory air that is difficult to match. Plus their food is the best you’ll find at just about any conference (or restaurant for that matter).
4. If you get invited to any other fancy parties, the kind you knew happened, but hadn’t been invited to in the past, follow your instincts regarding picture taking. I was not an aggressive picture taker at most events and even left the camera at home for a few shin-digs.
5. Most of the people in Libraryland that act like they are your friend really are your friend. Conferences provide on of the best opportunities to see these friendships in action. They will demonstrate this to you over time with things like:
-Uncontrollable smiles.
-Heartfelt group hugs given without any sense of irony.
-Invites to events you didn’t even know were held and certainly weren’t listed in any brochure I’ve ever seen (wait, we already talked about that, didn’t we?).
-Phone calls and text messages at odd hours from old friends and former coworkers attempting to meet up for at least a few minutes during impossibly packed days and nights.
-Knowing glances across the room that say “I know your tired, hang in there” or “We aren’t going to have time to talk, but what I really want to do is have more time and energy so we could talk until we were all caught up”.
5. I’ll bet most people here already know this, but most of the folks that are, have been or are upcoming ALA Presidents have amazing stamina and really, truly care about “our” business. They aren’t superstars, aren’t usually diva’s (or Devo’s 
they just are librarians (mostly) like us. They are often somewhat over achieving librarians with amazing political skills, connections, achievements and personality, but they really are just “one of us”.
6. This is easy since we library folks do a good job of this for the most part already. But …always try to be genuine and honor the attention people give you. The people saying nice things to you and trying to talk to you are just exactly as important and special as you are. If a librarian bothers to try to meet you, meet them! I know some folks have felt sad after they were brushed off by people of “importance”. That is SO not cool. Though developing a thicker skin is probably a good idea, respect is the best idea (something I am working on myself, the thick skin especially;).
7. Fred Kilgour was given a tribute that was respectful, appropriately irreverent at times and moving. Many of his quotes inspire me the exact way conversations with some of my closest library friends do. I’d say it even if MPOE (did I get the right, Karen?) wasn’t tied with the org he founded. If you haven’t seen it, look up some of his stuff. Or you could just look up a book in your library catalog. That book info you find there is pretty much there because of his work.
8. Gaming is one of the best things I’ve ever seen happening at a booth. At any conference. Nice work ALA TechSource (and Jenny). 1. David Lee King and I rock out with the “Guitar Hero” video game. 2. Jenny works hard, man. 3. Check out Rosario from MCLS playing DDR! She was good too!
9. You can sleep some other time. Though it seems that if you’re just going to an early session for free breakfast and don’t care about the session at all, why not just sleep a bit longer? You’ll have more energy later in the evening to put towards talking, dancing, drinking…or all three! *#9 was given to me during a conference conversation. I’m all for free breakfast, don’t get me wrong.*
10. If you are at all nervous about seeing someone from your past, there is a three times greater statistical chance you will run into that person. Seriously, I saw the mathematical formula for this once in college. It’s an ugly formula too. Lots of conversion and carrying of ones. Of course, I’m happy to see everybody all the time, so this couldn’t possibly apply to me personally…
There you have ‘em, ten observations from the 2007 ALA Midwinter Conference in Seattle. Hope to see you this summer at Annual and at next years Midwinter.
PS- Walt was a good sport, but Andrea put me up to it, I assure you. *Taken at the blog salon mentioned in the preceeding post*
